The dual vaccine crisis puts millions of children at risk

World health expert I met recently Discuss a New Global Health Crisis Related to the Covid-19 Pandemic: Basic Immunization Slump Rate Among Children Around the World.

Many experts are keenly aware of the impact of pandemics on essential healthcare services, but surprisingly. Immunization data Decades of progress on some of the world’s most dangerous illnesses are under serious threat, according to reports from the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

The numbers are clear.The child’s immunization rate is high because the lacking health resources have been rerouted to control Covid-19. Lowest level since 2009.. Last year, 23 million children missed basic vaccines through regular immune programs, an increase of 3.7 million from 2019. In addition, 17 million children worldwide are considered “zero-dose children” and do not receive life-saving single doses. , Regular vaccines — not to mention the complete immunity schedule.

advertisement

As a result, millions of children are at risk for resurrected deadly illnesses such as measles and polio. These are more life-threatening for children than Covid-19. Also, fewer children are vaccinated, which widens health inequalities and increases the likelihood of outbreaks. This could put an over-expanded healthcare system at risk of collapse.

Many pandemic-related factors contribute to this decline in health. These include local healthcare facilities that allocate funding, equipment, and healthcare providers to Covid-19 response efforts rather than vaccine programs. Citizens’ fear of Covid-19 infection; strict local lockdown.

advertisement

The story is the same in regions around the world. At a recent high-level political forum working on the development of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, officials from Afghanistan, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo said Covid-19 has a local health system and the health of children in their country. India has been hit particularly hard. With 3.5 million children unvaccinated or unvaccinated, it is the most common country in the world.

Even when the world is jointly competing to distribute billions of Covid-19 shots, the country cannot afford to lose decades of strenuous progress and can prevent children with vaccines. Leaves vulnerable to illness COVAX effort. The effect is devastating.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, measles has killed more than Covid-19 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan. Even before the pandemic, measles was increasing among children around the world. Official number of reported cases In 2019, it reached a height that had not been seen for more than 20 years. This trajectory, coupled with the millions of children who missed vaccination in 2020, sets the stage for a tenacious, highly contagious disease that will attack more children as the world becomes less vigilant. ..

The vaccine works. There are cost-effective tools to prevent the spread of preventable illnesses before they begin and to give infants the best possible shots of their lives. Today, even within a pandemic, the global health community must work together to make life-saving vaccines available to all children in all countries. Geography should not be a death sentence.

The first step is to strengthen the community health system. UNICEF, WHO, and Vaccine Alliance Gabi helped restore local vaccination campaigns through outreach, emphasizing the safety and importance of vaccines, identifying families who missed vaccination, and at the same time Covid-19 We are also working on the complex launch of vaccination efforts. Governments and organizations need to double their commitment to vaccine equity by investing in local health resources and implementing strong immunization programs.

Sufficient healthcare professional capacity, funding, surveillance efforts, and vaccine confidence building in all vaccine delivery as the world embarks on the largest global vaccine deployment in history to combat Covid-19 We need to explore all possible synergies to ensure that is done.Realization of a bold vision that has been expanded globally Immunization Agenda 2030Aiming to vaccinate 90% of children and adolescents worldwide is only possible through strong multilateral cooperation energized by political will.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the world has dramatically witnessed the tragedy of disease outbreaks and the hope of change provided by vaccines. Imagine being able to give the same hope to all parents of all children, whether in a rural village, in a refugee camp, or in a busy city. The promise of a healthy future is really within reach. Together, in solidarity, we can make it happen.

Martha Rebour is the Executive Director of. [email protected], The United Nations Foundation’s grassroots campaign to defend pediatric immunity worldwide. Lori Sloate is Senior Director of Global Health at the United Nations Foundation.